NHL approves Seattle expansion for '21-22 season

Ryan Kelly, left, Otto Rogers and Rebecca Moloney cheer the announcement of a new NHL hockey team in Seattle at a celebratory party Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018, in Seattle. The NHL Board of Governors unanimously approved adding Seattle as the league's 32nd franchise on Tuesday, with play set to begin in 2021 to allow enough time for arena renovations.(Photo: Elaine Thompson, AP)

Fans at a downtown Seattle bar erupted with cheers following the announcement that the city was being awarded the 32nd NHL franchise.

There was a hint of disappointment since the date to start play was pushed back to 2021-22.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan took a bit of the suspense away by making the announcement to the crowd about 10 minutes before the official word came from Commissioner Gary Bettman.

The NHL Board of Governors unanimously approved adding Seattle as the league's 32nd franchise on Tuesday. Play will begin in 2021 to allow enough time for arena renovations. The as-yet unnamed franchise will be the Emerald City's first major winter sports team since the NBA's SuperSonics left town in 2008.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said at a watch party in Seattle: "I got a call from a mole in the room and it was a unanimous vote. We're getting hockey."

The decision was widely expected after the Seattle Hockey Partners group impressed the board's executive committee in October and had all the ingredients the NHL was looking for. Strong ownership led by billionaire David Bonderman and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, a downtown arena in a sports-crazed city and a season-ticket drive that drummed up 10,000 orders in 12 minutes all cleared the way for the NHL to add another team less than three years after approving a franchise in Las Vegas.

The owners will pay a $650 million expansion fee, up from the $500 million the Vegas Golden Knights paid to join the league.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says it was an easy decision to approve Seattle expansion for 2021, not 2020, because of concerns about when downtown arena renovations will be done.

Bettman says the notion of the arena being done in time for the start of the 2020-21 season was doubtful at best.

Seattle President Tod Leiweke expects the arena to be ready and open in March or April of 2021.

John Barr has been the voice of the fans longing for hockey in Seattle. He says he got a little emotional when league Commissioner Gary Bettman announced the NHL had approved Seattle as the 32nd franchise, even though the move seemed to be a foregone conclusion.

Barr said he's heard from numerous fans interested in learning more about the game as the 2021 start date approaches.

One question for the future will be how the Seattle ownership group keeps momentum and interest moving forward, especially with the start date for the team pushed back a year.